PANELS ENDORSE AUDIT OF WASTEWATER SYSTEM.Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer Customers who question the cost of their sewer SEWER. Properly a trench artificially made for the purpose of carrying water into the sea, river, or some other place of reception. Public sewers are, in general, made at the public expense. Crabb, R. P. Sec. 113. bills may get answers soon, after two Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. committees recommended
on Monday proceeding with a long-awaited audit.
In a joint meeting of the Governmental Efficiency and Environmental Quality and Waste Management committees, council members Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management and Cindy Miscikowski Cindy Miscikowski represented the 11th District on the Los Angeles City Council for two full terms from 1997 through 2005. Previously, she was an aide to Councilman Marvin Braude and the Executive Director of the Skitball Cultural Center in its beginning stages. recommended that the city hire the firm Black & Veatch to perform a study on ways to increase the efficiency of the city's wastewater management system. ``This is a long time in coming,'' Wachs said. ``It was in 1992 that we first asked for a study. I've been dismayed that it's taken six years to get to that point.'' The audit was delayed when first proposed because of concerns by the City Attorney's Office that it could jeopardize jeop·ard·ize tr.v. jeop·ard·ized, jeop·ard·iz·ing, jeop·ard·izes To expose to loss or injury; imperil. See Synonyms at endanger. the city's position in pending lawsuits over sewer fees. Officials in the City Attorney's Office said, however, that they advised city officials two years ago that the lawsuit was settled and that the city was free to go ahead with the audit. The firm Black & Veatch was the top choice for the audit, city staffers advised in the committee report, because it offered the second-lowest hourly rate for the study, with the highest level of expertise in benchmark studies and with large wastewater utilities including that of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The firm's bid on the study was just under half a million dollars, compared with $357,000 to $1 million offers by six other bidders. However, Wachs questioned whether the company's familiarity with Los Angeles' wastewater system, gained through previous contracts with the department including expert testimony Testimony about a scientific, technical, or professional issue given by a person qualified to testify because of familiarity with the subject or special training in the field. in the sewer fee lawsuits, would compromise its independence on the audit. ``Since you were the person hired to defend the city against wasteful practices, how can you now be the one who finds wasteful practices?'' he asked. Myron Olstein, the firm's national director of utility improvement services, said his involvement in the lawsuits was limited to verifying billing calculations and involved no analysis of the system's efficiency. He said his focus in the audit would be ways to improve sewer services. ``We view a best-practices study as being primarily forward looking,'' he said. |
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